I woke up this morning realizing I had crossed another threshold without even noticing the door. December arrived. I am still trying to understand how an entire year can collapse into a single breath. I remember the the noise of presidential transition, heat of the LA fires, the stress of immigration paperwork, the thrill of J-Hope’s concert, the joy of Jin’s concert, the long flights to Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, and the quiet moments in between when I wondered if my life was ever going to slow down. Somehow, all of it lived inside this one year, and now here we are, standing on the edge of the holidays again. Christmas is waiting. The New Year is already peeking around the corner. I can feel 2026 reaching for me. December always moves quickly, like time has its hand pressed on the accelerator, but this year feels different. Heavier. Fuller. Brighter.
A Year That Tested Everything
This year stretched me in ways I never expected. It asked me to show up in fires, in uncertainty, in airports, in worship services, in conversations I did not see coming. It reminded me of Psalm 90:12, where Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” I used to think numbering my days meant tracking time. Now I understand it means living awake. Living aware. Living without sleepwalking through the parts that hurt or the parts that heal.
Somewhere between the LA fires and the concerts that stitched joy back into my spirit, I remembered who I was. God kept whispering to me through every detour. Through every new country I stepped into. Through every moment I felt small in a world that moved too fast. Jesus’ words from John 16 remind me that “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world.” I carried that reminder like a promise in my pocket.
And as the year kept unfolding in unpredictable ways, I learned what Viktor Frankl meant when he said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” This year changed me. Not all at once. Often quietly. Sometimes painfully. Always faithfully.
A December That Holds Both Memory and Hope
December is a strange month. It gathers everything the year carried and sets it at your feet. Some memories glow. Some weigh a little more than others. Some feel unfinished. All of it belongs. December carries a rhythm of return, like God inviting us back to the center of our own story. Isaiah 43:19 often surfaces this time of year. “See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” I love that question. Do you not perceive it?
Because sometimes, no, I do not. I get lost in my calendar. I get lost in the swirl of travel. I get lost in trying to be present for everyone I love. Yet December arrives with quiet authority, reminding me that God has been writing newness in places I forgot to look.
This is why I resonate with Rainer Maria Rilke’s reminder that we must “live the questions now’ so the answers can meet us when we are ready.”
December brings that reminder back into focus. Not as pressure. As invitation.
And as we inch toward Christmas, I carry Paul’s reminder in Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.” This year reminded me that hope is not passive. Hope is a choice. Hope is the lens we clean again and again so we can look at our lives rightly.
Which brings me to the part of the year I usually rush past: the pause. The moment between everything that happened and everything that is waiting to unfold. I want to stay here for a moment.
Soul Insights
1. The year did not move fast because you failed to pay attention. It moved fast because you grew.
Growth changes your relationship with time. There were months this year when you were stretched emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Those seasons always move quickly because transformation rarely feels slow. It often unfolds while you are not looking. December lets you see the fruit of what you lived through.
2. God was present in every high and low, even when it did not feel obvious.
From natural disasters to travel miracles, from transitions to tiny breakthroughs, every part of this year left fingerprints of grace. You did not walk through a single moment without divine companionship. December is where the hindsight settles and you suddenly notice how held you truly were.
3. Joy came from places you did not expect.
Traveling across the world. Running into nature’s beauty in ways that stuns you. Joy does not always arrive through ease; it arrives through experience. Through presence. Through the courage to keep showing up.
4. You handled more than you give yourself credit for.
You think you barely made it through some days, but the truth is you navigated storms most people would not have survived with this much grace. December is an invitation to acknowledge your strength without downplaying it. You did not just endure. You evolved.
5. Something new is already forming for 2026.
When God prepares you for a new season, He often rearranges the old one first. That is why this year felt intense. It was preparation, not punishment. December is not just an ending. It is a bridge. You are walking into the new year with awareness, resilience, and hope that has been tested and strengthened.
Final Thoughts
If this year felt like a storm, a sprint, a pilgrimage, and a blessing all at once, you are not alone. I feel it too. December holds space for all of it. It reminds us that time is not slipping away. Time is shaping us. God is shaping us. And as we step into the lights and rhythm of the holiday season, I want to carry one truth with me: I am not the same person who started this year. And neither are you. There is beauty in that.
Your Turn
Take a moment today to honor the journey you lived this year. Ask yourself:
• What surprised you about who you became?
• Where did God meet you in unexpected ways?
• What hope do you want to carry into the new year?
Let December open something inside you.
By the way…
If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to check out my book 17 Syllables of Me and visit my website, SoulPath Insights. They carry more of the journey I’m learning to live.
Thank you for taking the time to read! 🤗
© 2025 Amelie Chambord
Soul Path Insights 
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